An annual dinner is usually related to organizations especially the private that want to celebrate their employees in a sense of their contributions to the employers and their organizations. It is also a way to show employers’ gratitude towards their workers that have been working hard to maintain or to develop the business over the years.

Well, I have a great story about an annual dinner that I have attended and it was really surprising, not to say that it was a surprise annual dinner but it was surprising especially for the newbie like me. That was the first time for me and I never wanted to be in such annual dinner again, ever.

It was the time of the year, the moment that everyone’s being waiting for (I guess) especially to the senior members of this private college where I worked before for 10 sad months. There’s no specific theme for the dinner, just be yourself and eat whatever that you’ve paid using your own money. The so called ‘Annual Dinner’ arouses a few questions out of my mind because I never expected an Annual Dinner to be arranged in such manner.

The first question is ‘Why is it the employees have to pay from their own pocket for the Annual Dinner?’ As what I have mentioned earlier an Annual Dinner should be the time for the employer to celebrate their loyal employees over the years. Is it supposed to be free? Most of the employees came by using their own transportation and it was really like having your own dinner at a certain dining place with your family members at your own cost. That was really sad.

The second question is ‘Why is it for those employees that cannot come to the Annual Dinner their salary will be cut? Just imagine if you are sick the day before it doesn’t mean that you will be fine on the next day, clearly mean that you cannot get yourself to the Annual Dinner. No matter what excuses you gave, no matter how hard you cried the management of the college will never spare you. Whether you like it or not, no matter you’re going or not, the amount of your salary will not be the same as you saw them the month before. That was really sad number two.

An annual dinner should be a platform to build better rapport among employees and the relationship with their employers. If you don’t feel like going to the annual dinner meaning there’s something wrong going on there, it’s either you or your employer or in such cases both of you. I hope the college that I have mentioned stops doing whatever they’re doing to their poor employees. Be a good and a reliable employer for god sake and for the development of the college itself. Stop discriminating others.